The conventional method for imparting the acoustic vibrational bodily sensation and apparatus therefor as described above has its main object that while enjoying the music with the auditory sense, rhythmic sense caused by the music is tasted with the bodily sensation to thereby further increase the pleasant sensation caused by the music. A further object thereof is to let a deaf and dumb person learn an intonation in conversational utterance.
Further, the electric machine vibration converter 100 includes a speaker of the voice coil type as shown in FIG. 8 (hereinafter referred to as the first prior art) and disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 75430/1977, and or a solenoid actuator type as shown in FIG. 9 (hereinafter referred to as the second prior art) and disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 171371/1982.
In FIG. 8, a cylindrical movable coil 51 is arranged to be freely moved in and out of a gap 54 whose section is in the form of a slot and whose plane is annularly provided within a field system 53 magnetized by a permanent magnet 52. A vibrator 55 secured to the movable coil 51 is held on the side of the field system 53 through an elastic holding plate 56. With this configuration, an electric signal having an acoustic frequency is applied to the movable coil 51 so that the movable coil 51 may be mechanically vibrated in response to the frequency and amplitude of the electric signal and a vibration source is obtained from relative vibrations between the field system 53 and the vibrator 55.
The constitution shown in FIG. 8 is called the speaker voice coil type since the mode of arrangement of the movable coil 51 and the field system 53 corresponds to that of a voice coil in a speaker and a field yoke.
In FIG. 9, an exciting coil 61 is embedded into a field system 62, and an elastic vibrator 63 is arranged opposite to the side of a release end of the field system 62 and held on the side of the field system 62 through an elastic holding plate 64. With this configuration, an electric signal having an acoustic frequency is applied to the exciting coil 61 so that the vibrator 63 may be mechanically vibrated in response to the frequency and amplitude of the electric signal and a vibration source is obtained from relative vibrations between the field system 62 and the vibrator 63.
As the an agrangement; and in which the movable side and the fixed side in the constitution shown in FIG. 9 are reversed, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 14996/1993 discloses a device (hereinafter referred to as the third prior art) in which the vibrator 63 as a permanent magnet is arranged on the fixed side, and the exciting coil 61 and a magnetic core for a field 62 are held by the elastic holding plate and arranged on the movable side.
The constitution shown in FIG. 9 is called the solenoid actuator type since the arrangement is one in which the vibrator is attracted and deenergized by the magnetic force produced by the exciting coil 61 and the field system corresponds to that of a solenoid field system and an actuator in the solenoid actuator.
On the other hand, as the an arrangement for imparting the bodily sensation, there is proposed a constitution (hereinafter referred to as the fourth prior art) in which a contact portion provided in the vibrator 63 is laid on a body bone portion --;--; such as an ear bone --;--, to impart the bodily sensation. Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 300943/1993 discloses a device (hereinafter referred to as the fifth prior art) in which --;--; as shown in FIG. 10, the hemispherical shells 73 and 74 are mounted on each of the outer sides of a field system side 71 and a vibrator side 72 secured to the movable coil which are a modification of the constitution of the aforementioned first prior art, the outer surfaces of both the shells being embraced by the palms 75 and 76 of both hands to impart the bodily sensation through the palms.
Further, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 103910/1977 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 14996/1993 disclose a devices (hereinafter referred to as the sixth prior art) in which the bodily sensation is imparted from the hip or the sole of a foot of the human body by the electric machine vibration converter 100A, 100B, or 100C described in the above-described first, third and fourth prior arts.
In the bodily sensation imparting method according to the above-described fourth prior art, the auditory sensation by the auditory sense and bodily sensation by the vibration are received at the same part of the human body. This poses an inconvenience in that the auditor and bodily sensation become confused making it difficult to obtain a pleasant sensation as intended.
Further, it is necessary for imparting to stronger bodily sensation by the above-described prior arts 5 and 6 to increase electric power of the electric signal supplied to the electric machine vibration converter. By doing so, however, not only must the apparatus becomes larger in size but also the vibration of the electric machine vibration converter become stronger so that vibrational sounds directly produced from the electric machine vibration converter itself or from a chair or a floor on which the electric machine vibration converter is mounted increase, resulting in an inconvenience that the vibrational sound turns into the noise so as to conversely impart the unpleasant sensation in terms of the auditory sense.
Therefore, there gives rise to a problem in that the provision of a method and an apparatus for imparting the bodily sensation without being attended with these inconveniences as noted above is desired.